Thursday, January 8, 2015

Pumpin Pal flanges - review + giveaway!



Pumpin’ ain’t easy.  It’s a never-ending job that you do out of love for your child, but that takes time and attention away from the rest of your day.  It might be your job that you’re having to put on a quick time-out, or even time with your child(ren) being disrupted.  Neither is fun!

So, if it’s painful to pump, that makes an already daunting task even less inviting.  The standard flanges that come with most commercial pumps are not exactly shaped for comfort – they’re sort of shaped like a megaphone, with the part into which you put your nipple going straight back.  This isn’t the most efficient – you have to sit straight up for fear of milk dribbling out the bottom, and since your baby usually isn’t being held directly out in front of you but down a little ways, it’s not the same angle at which a baby nursing would suck.  That would be at more of a 45-degree angle downward.  This weird angle can cause chafing and discomfort during the pumping process.

Enter the Pumpin Pal.  (LINK)  These are a set of flanges that are designed to mimic the baby’s mouth.  The base of it is angled downward, which is similar to the angle at which your breast would be in a nursing baby’s mouth.  Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two flanges:



You get three different pairs of flanges when ordering – a M, L, and XL.  The reason for this is because your breasts will undergo changes during the nursing process, and you might need different sizes at different times.  Or, you might need one size on one breast, and another on the other.  (Don’t judge, it happens!)  Since the flanges are more similar to the suction a baby’s mouth provides, they are much, MUCH more comfortable.  I’ve used them for the past ten days, and have had the same amount of output with much less pain.  I’ve found that going down a size from what I expected has also had a slight amount of help in my milk output, which was a wonderful surprise!  

I’ve been able to tailor which flange I use for the amount of engorgement I have, which is really nice – and I can switch out the flanges in the middle of a pump session to get more contact with the breast when some of that engorgement has been relieved.  Another benefit of the angled neck is that you can actually lean back in your chair without worrying about getting milk all over your lap!  

I liked the Pumpin Pal flanges so much that I bought a set to give away.  Checkout and “like” our Facebook page to enter: 


We’ll draw for a winner on 1/12/15!

2 comments:

  1. I was just thinking about ordering - thanks for the review! Have you tried their hands-free product?

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    1. That is a great question! I haven't personally tried the hands-free product, so I can't speak from personal experience. (I usually do massaging during pumping, so I end up not doing hands-free.) I have read a ton of reviews of it, though, and it sounds like a super-simple, ingenious contraption that makes pumping way easier!

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